Placemaking Week Website Redesign

Inconsistent Navigation & Cluttered Information

Placemaking Week — a subset of Project for Public Spaces — is a weeklong global gathering emphasizing hands-on learning and innovative social events, while leaving behind a public space legacy in host cities around the world.

The current website suffered from two compounding problems: it was text-heavy to the point of overwhelming users, and its dynamic navigation menu created a labyrinth with no clear escape. The "back" button was users' only rescue. Together, these two factors were actively discouraging potential attendees from registering.

Mixed Methods Study

We focused on students as our primary user group — particularly interesting given that they represent only 5% of total attendees, yet are a key demographic for building long-term conference community. I consulted students from business, design, computer science, and architecture to capture a diverse range of needs.

We combined qualitative data from 15 in-person interviews and 10 usability tests with quantitative data from an online questionnaire to build a comprehensive picture of user needs.

65% of participants had never attended a placemaking or urban design conference

Notes from observation study sessions — conducted in-person and then adapted to remote

Persona: Architecture Student — the target user group for this redesign

Fixing the Information Architecture

Preliminary research made it clear that fixing the IA was the single highest-priority intervention. Our high-level navigation goals were clear:

• Consistent navigation menu across all pages
• Simplified structure accessible to every user group
• Intuitive labelling system that maps to user mental models

Card Sorting — 38 Cards, 11 Participants

We defined 38 cards combining previous user input, terminology from the existing site, and language used by other well-known conferences. The card sort was conducted with 11 participants using Optimal Workshop.

The sort partially failed — we ended up with 61 unique categories. Rather than a setback, this revealed the depth of labelling confusion. Users weren't confused by the content; they were confused by the language used to describe it.

Similarity matrix from card sort — 61 unique categories signalled systemic labelling confusion

Tree Testing — 10 Participants, 7 Tasks

Taking card sort insights, we modified the labelling system and ran tree testing with 10 participants (5 in-person, 5 remote) using 7 short tasks designed to test navigation across key user journeys.

Final information architecture tree tested across 10 participants

Tree testing results overview — directness and success rates by task

Revised site map — consistent, simplified architecture based on research findings

From Paper to Pixel

Every team member was responsible for sketching one section. I owned the header and footer — drawing two header iterations and three footer iterations. We then digitized paper prototypes and tested them remotely with 5 users (COVID forced the pivot from our in-person plan).

Key Feedback from Prototype Testing

• Users expected clicking on speaker photos to reveal more information
• Navigation menu order was counterintuitive — users expected "About" first

Initial sketches — header and footer iterations for early concept validation

Style Guide

The visual redesign aimed to retain the organization's identity while updating components for better contrast and aesthetic appeal. The redesign uses the Open Sans typeface with a responsive 12-column grid system, and a color palette that inherits legacy while improving contrast ratios.

Final high-fidelity designs — desktop and mobile for three primary pages

Impact & Reflections

The client appreciated how the research-driven IA improvements translated directly into cleaner navigation and a more inviting first impression. We redesigned three pages for both desktop and mobile platforms.